"The child is terrified": Doctors on front lines of measles comeback speak out
Confirmed measles cases in the U.S. just hit a 35-year high, and it's only July.
July 24, 2026 / 12:38 PM EDT / KFF Health News
For the first time in a quarter century, the U.S. no longer meets a main criterion for having eliminated measles as a public health threat. That status hinges on sporadic outbreaks fizzling out within a year. Utah's outbreak has lasted for longer, since June 2025 .
Nearly 400 people have been hospitalized with measles in the U.S. this year and last, three people have died, and at least three suffered brain swelling with lingering symptoms .
This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to finalize a comprehensive study of the nation's measles situation, examining data from January 2025 through June 2026.
"I don't think we could say with a straight face that there hasn't been transmission over the past 12 months," said a CDC scientist with knowledge of the agency's measles report. (KFF Health News agreed not to name the researcher, who is concerned about retaliation.) The researcher said a national committee of measles specialists will review the CDC's internal report, which then goes to the Pan American Health Organization, a group that evaluates the measles elimination status of countries throughout North, South, and Central America and the Caribbean.